Botan, the Puppetmaster
by Rex Madison
Summary: Botan. The last survivor of Those From The Past. After losing everything, the Puppetmaster needed to take some time...but now she's ready to take control. To do that she needs allies, and the Psycho Soldiers would do nicely - if they shared her ambition. Luckily, Botan can be very persuasive...but is power really all she wants? (Rated PG-13.)
1. A New Beginning

Notes

Yep, I'm back to the Soldiers already. This story _involves_ hanging plot threads, but just to look into them, not to fix them. Botan, for example. We really don't know much about her; all I could find for her personality traits was "sadistic". That leaves a lot of leeway for exploring her morals, her objectives, her insecurities, etc. I've never liked writing for characters like that; it's like working with an OC, except you have to pay attention to background details for it that you didn't even write. But characters with psychic powers? Well, that's a different story.

This fic is basically finished...but I'm not sure how often I'll update yet. I'm thinking weekly, but that's kind of a rough guess. If you'd prefer faster updates, feel free to let me know-but I'll be working on other stories too, so there's no way it'll be daily or anything.

Final note: for the purposes of this story, Chin's wife has passed on. ...I keep forgetting that she, uh, exists. :/

* * *

Chapter 1: A New Beginning

It had all been going so well, back then.

Saiki may have been an ass, but he knew what he was doing. He knew their little group had been in danger; he knew how to escape it. He researched ways to get the power they needed to strike back. He not only _found_ the Orochi, he figured out how to release him, something no one in this era still thought possible. He realized the key to it all was Ash Crimson, his own descendant...and he knew just how to manipulate the boy into doing what he wanted.

You know. Until the end there, when the boy erased his existence.

She still couldn't understand it. Why would Crimson do something so reckless, so _stupid_? He "liked this world", he said...but he had already foiled Saiki's plan. All Saiki was trying to do at that point was start over. And if Crimson could stop him then, couldn't he have stopped him later instead? Sometime when it _wouldn't_ wipe them both off the face of the earth?

And then _he_ would have had the power...

That's what threw her the most about the whole thing. When Crimson had taken back control from Saiki, he'd gained untold power - power over _time itself_ \- and he wanted nothing to do with it. The boy had held the world in his hands...and he chose to cut them off instead.

That wasn't what Botan would have done.

That wasn't what Botan would have done at _all_.

She had known from an early age that she was special. Ever since she was a toddler, and her guardians had been yelling at her...and she'd made them her first puppets, out of instinct and just long enough to calm them down. They quickly came to fear her power, so she hid it from them, needing their protection and wanting their love. But she developed the skill in secret, and within a few short years, the puppeteer could make just about anyone dance on her strings. Saiki was a master of manipulation; Botan was manipulation itself.

Yet for all her power, she had always felt inadequate. She knew that she, personally, didn't have much power at all. She couldn't fight. She couldn't benchpress more than twenty-five pounds, and she couldn't harness her chi or cast any sort of magic. She couldn't _think_ her way out of much, either. She was clever, but not _witty_ , and she certainly wasn't _smart_. She didn't even understand her own abilities, after all...not completely, not even after all these years.

For example, Botan had _no_ idea why, when the rest of the world had forgotten Ash Crimson, she remembered him perfectly.

It wasn't the first time that had happened, either. She and her comrades had been meddling with history; they were bound to screw up a few things here and there. But she remembered how things _used_ to be, every single time. Thanks to her powers (probably? how could she know?), Botan's memory was inviolate.

She'd like to know more about her ability, of course. But that wasn't really what she wanted. What Botan wanted was _power_. Always had been, always would be. On her own, she could control _people_...but she would still be weak. With the right people, she could become strong; with the right people, she could control the _world_.

Saiki and his followers had given her that. And since they'd had the same goals, she hadn't even had to control them. Now, they were gone...and she was alone again, stranded centuries from her homeland in a place she still barely understood.

But she wouldn't let that stop her.

She had rested. She had regrouped. And now, she would restart. She would join another group with power, another that could take control. And then they would ascend with her, and give her the power she wanted...whether _they_ wanted it or not.

She just had to find them...

* * *

"Thank you! Thank you, everyone!"

Athena Asamiya, _still_ Japan's #1 idol, bowed and called out to her fans with the same warmth she always had. Her fans, however, didn't respond with as much warmth as they usually did. Her performance - her voice, her dance moves, even her memory of her lyrics - was a little off tonight. The audience knew it, and they weren't too happy about it. She knew it too, of course...and she also knew the reason why.

Her partner didn't, though.

 _Hey Athena, what's going on out there? Are you alright?_

The idol's smile wilted, and it took all her willpower not to scowl right there in front of everyone. _I have ASKED you, Sie, not to contact me onstage,_ she replied, gritting her teeth. She would've been annoyed even if she hadn't been feeling the pressure.

 _Yeah, but you don't usually struggle like this,_ her fellow psychic pointed out. _Seriously - what's up?_

Now Athena sighed, doing her best to keep it from the audience. _There's something out there tonight, Kensou. Something evil. I can feel it._

 _Really?_

 _Yes,_ she told him, getting a bit annoyed with him again for not having felt it himself. _It's a distant presence, so I can't pinpoint it...but it's THERE, right in this audience. And it wants something._

 _Hmm,_ Sie "said" back. Then he went silent, like he was putting her on hold. He didn't speak again until _right_ after she'd turned back to the crowd (of course). _Okay, I asked Master Chin. He can feel it too, but he says it's weak and unsteady. He'll keep an eye on it, though, so RELAX. After all, if it's weak, it's nothing we can't handle, right?_

 _Well...I suppose..._

 _Definitely. You're getting so strong these days you could probably do it on your own - without even stopping the concert! And if you can't, we're right back here for you. Me, Chin, the kids...even Kaoru's here tonight._

 _Yeah! We're all rooting for you, Sis!_

 _Stop eavesdropping, Bao,_ Sie snapped, and Athena couldn't help but giggle.

 _...Sie, you're absolutely right,_ she agreed, her cheer coming back in spades. _Whether I'M strong enough or not, together we can do anything!_

 _That's right!_ Kensou encouraged. _Now come on, Athena. Give 'em one more song. Send 'em home happy!_

 _Right. The big finish._ The idol smiled, not that Kensou could see it. _And I know just how to do it..._

* * *

 _Why the hell did I come here?_

This last bit wasn't telepathy, though. It was just a stray thought, made by a very bored and increasingly frustrated Botan. After a number of dead ends, she had decided to research the contestants from King of Fighters, the tournament she'd forced Rose and Chizuru to hold way back when. Some of _those_ people could flatten buildings when they got pissed off enough.

The ones she'd ended up interested in, though, were the Psycho Soldiers. They didn't have as much raw strength as some of the others...but they, too, could manipulate the mind. They were _psychics_ , in fact, and could probably do more with it than she could. But the one thing she had complete confidence in was her _own_ mental ability. No matter what they could do, the puppeteer knew without a doubt that she could make them do it for _her_.

Botan's research had taught her that Asamiya was not only the most powerful of the group, but also the only one who appeared in public on a schedule. So she'd decided to go to one of her concerts, to see if she could scout her out. But really, what had she expected to see here? The girl wasn't here to use her powers; she was here to _sing_.

 _And she's not even that great at THAT,_ the woman grumbled to herself, crossing her arms and agreeing with the crowd's lackluster reaction.

"All right, everyone...it's almost time for me to go," Asamiya called out. Some people groaned or booed, but not very many; another muted response. "Before I do, though, I want to sing you one more song. A _special_ song, one close to my heart...and I hope it's close to yours, too."

With that, she launched into a beautiful love ballad, powerful but painfully sappy. The crowd cheered louder than they had in an hour, but Botan just groaned and rolled her eyes. Legend had it the idol had written this song about Kyo Kusanagi, back when she'd still had a crush on him. (Kyo had even been questioned about it once. He'd had no comment...but he'd also had Yuki on his arm at the time, so it only made sense.)

Resting her head on one hand and her elbow in the other, Botan decided to ride it out, not wanting to fight the crowds as she left. But to her surprise, she started to warm up to the soulful, heart-wrenching song. Eventually she even caught her head nodding to the beat. She shook herself and smirked, musing about how control could come in many forms.

When it was over, the audience roared in approval. Botan stood and clapped with them, just to keep up appearances (it was easier this time, though). "Thank you so much, everybody. Thank you. ...thank you," Asamiya called out, her voice getting quieter with every word.

Then she clasped her hands, closed her eyes, and bowed her head.

Botan raised her eyebrow as the crowd's cheers died down, replaced by curious mumbling. Then her eyes widened as an aura appeared around the psychic's form, wreathing her in purple light. _She's going to use her powers!_ the woman thought gleefully, hungrily. _Finally, she's going to SHOW me something...!_

But Asamiya didn't just _show_ Botan what she could do.

She told her.

 _I want all of you to know how much I appreciate you,_ said a voice inside her head. _You're some of my greatest fans, and without my fans I'm nothing. You've stuck with me through thick and thin, and I know you always will...and I'll do the same for all of you. I promise._

The voice ended...and, after a second of stunned silence, the entire audience exploded in cheers.

Except for Botan.

Instead she actually fell to her knees, slack-jawed and staring in awe. _She just...she just spoke to ALL of us. Thousands of people, all at once...using only her mind._ She could barely talk to _one_ person's mind that way! And even _that_ could only happen after she'd taken it over...!

"Thanks again, everyone! I love you all!" Athena called, grinning wider than she had all night. Finally, she struck a pose. "Psycho Soldier, Out!"

And then she Teleported offstage.

It was a long time before the crowd started milling out of the arena - and a whole lot longer before Botan finally got to her feet. It was power like she'd never dreamed...power she hadn't thought humanly possible. Was Asamiya even human? Who _was_ this girl?

...and how soon could she have her...?

* * *

End Notes

Sorry, people-Botan just didn't feel like a pure-evil stereotype to me. I tried to give her some nuance here...but I didn't want to shoehorn it in, so I also tried to keep it subtle. Hopefully I struck the right balance.

So, there's the setup. Girl meets girl, girl wants to...take over girl?, girl...wants to take over the world. Happens every day! But Athena's no mental slouch herself, and she's not going down without a fight. Will Botan win? Will she be defeated? Or will things get a bit more...complicated than that? See you next update!


	2. Midnight Assault

Notes

Well! It's been a hell of a few days for me, readers. Writing's finally getting difficult again, and this might be my last story. ...luckily, it's already finished, so don't think I'll leave you hanging! (This is EXACTLY why I finish my stories ahead of time. My apologies if I never get back to The Deal.)

When we last left Botan, she'd seen great strength in Athena and decided to go after her and her partners. But the road ahead of her is tougher than she thinks...

* * *

Chapter 2: Midnight Assault

Botan had just managed to catch the end of Asamiya's latest tour. Now the idol planned to go back to her dojo for a few months, wanting to re-commit to her martial arts training. This suited Botan's purposes just fine; the fewer people around to distract her, the better. Of course, she had to _find_ the dojo first, but all that took was "asking" someone at the girl's talent agency...and in this era, all finding _that_ took was a little help from the internet. _Truly mankind's greatest achievement,_ she thought as she searched, even though computers were another thing she still barely understood.

Asamiya, now a _very_ wealthy woman, had chartered a private jet for the occasion. But the Soldiers still had to land at the airport closest to home. Through some careful maneuvering, Botan actually managed to get there before they did. Then luck took over, as she found them before they left the airport thanks to some eager paparazzi.

The drive to the dojo took nearly an hour, soon leaving the city and winding through the mountain wilderness of China. The woman kept her distance as she tailed the psychics, knowing that being the only other car on the road would make her easy to spot if she didn't. She kept them in her sights just long enough to spot the dojo miles ahead, just as the truck carrying its residents dropped them off and started back.

By the time it got to Botan she had already pulled off the road, hiding herself and her car in the trees alongside it. Nightfall was still a ways off, and she preferred her targets sleeping; they resisted a lot less that way. (Some of them didn't even wake up.)

After several hours - and a couple snacks, a quick doze, and an uncomfortable bathroom break (maybe the _toilet_ was mankind's greatest achievement) - Botan started for the dojo, walking instead of driving to keep the noise down. The trip took a while this way, but she didn't mind; it gave the psychics more time to nod off, and her power protected her just as well from wildlife as from humans. By the time she arrived, the dojo was silent, still and dark. Grinning, she nestled herself into a hiding spot and began to work.

 _[Botan's power was, in the end, very specific. Once she had control of someone, they had to do what she told them. Period. But she took that control using something she called Thread, a string-like substance she created in her hands and sent out through her fingertips. She'd stitch it to the victim's brain, sew it into their psyche to take control, and weave it into their - core? soul? whatever you wanted to call it - to make it stick. Once the Thread was locked in, it was there for life; it wouldn't detach until she told it to, and nobody on Earth had the power to break it._

 _But Thread had several powers of its own. She could see and hear anything around it; no one could see or hear it but her. She could control its flight path exactly, ignoring the laws of gravity. It could phase through walls, ground, ceilings - even people, passing into and out of them without alerting them at all. But when she clenched her hands to begin her attack, it became as strong as steel, completely immobilizing anything it was wrapped around. ...why it didn't slice the victim's head to ribbons at that point, she didn't know.]_

Botan sent a single, thin strand of Thread out into the dojo, using it to scout ahead. She found her"self" inside what looked like the main training room, a large, flat area with some equipment off to the side. Quickly, she moved the Thread through the halls, phasing inside each door to peek into the room behind. The first person she found was Asamiya herself, resting comfortably in a large, fluffy-looking bed.

Grinning, she sent the Thread soaring through the rest of the dojo, eager to strike but not wanting company while she did. She found Gentsai first, lying on the floor in a drunken stupor; from there she moved on to Bao...then Momoko...and finally Kensou, all of them in bed and sleeping like babies.

 _Perfect,_ she thought, her heart racing as she sent her spy back to Asamiya's room. She got back there, found the girl still fast asleep...and then her work _really_ began.

Botan couldn't just create _one_ Thread, after all. She could create dozens. Over a hundred, at her limits. She never struck until her target was completely surrounded, trapped like a fly in a spider's web (not that the "web" pattern helped, she just found it amusing). And Botan didn't take any chances with this one; by the time she was ready, Asamiya was practically in a cocoon.

The puppeteer raised her hands in front of her, all hundred-plus Threads still attached. She leaned back on them a bit, pulling every strand taut; then, steeling herself, she flexed her muscles and _clenched._

* * *

Athena's eyes shot open, her mouth parting in a silent scream.

She was being attacked. Really, _really_ attacked. A psychic (maybe?) force was trying to lock down her mind, possibly the strongest she'd ever felt. Meanwhile a physical force had already locked down her body, gripping her so tight she couldn't even look down to see that she couldn't see it.

 _...what the heck...?_ How had she not noticed this!? Sure, she'd been asleep, but she still had mental alarms set up, built specifically to keep _exactly this_ from happening. Had she done that bad a job? Or was her attacker just that good?

Luckily, those weren't Athena's only defenses. Her psychic energy itself doubled as a kind of barrier, keeping unfamiliar forces from breaking into her mind. During her confusion, the attack had made some headway into it, and she could already feel herself weakening. But the confusion was over; now she was ready to fight.

Closing her eyes, the psychic harnessed her still-enormous store of energy and pushed back.

* * *

Botan fell to her knees, several of the Threads snapping.

 _What the fuck!?_ It had been going perfectly fine - slower than she'd hoped for, but fine - and then, pain. Several different kinds of pain at once, all in her head. She knew Asamiya would resist, but in her arrogance, she hadn't even considered that the girl might be able to _fight back_. But she was fighting back, alright; in fact, she was winning at the moment.

Fear overtook the woman, fear like nothing she'd ever felt. But instead of disabling her, the fear spurred her along, and she quickly considered her options. Retreat did not look like one of them; Asamiya could easily scan the area, locate her and counterattack. And Botan didn't even think she _had_ mental defenses, let alone defenses strong enough to handle a monster like this. Using the Thread to overpower her didn't seem likely, either; if it could have done that, it _would_ have the moment she'd attacked.

But taking control wasn't all the Thread could do. It still had Asamiya wrapped up tight - and now that it was working, she could feel it, too. Gritting her teeth in concentration, Botan kept up her attack, but also did something she'd never had to before: she made the Thread move.

* * *

Suddenly, Athena felt about a thousand worms crawling over her body.

" _Eeewwwww...!_ " the young woman moaned, trying to throw herself from the bed. She couldn't do it - the force's movement hadn't freed her _that_ much - but she could still shudder and writhe, the disgusting sensations bringing bile up to her throat. As it threatened to turn into vomit, she realized that as immobilized as she was, if she _did_ vomit she'd probably choke on it and die.

The more she thought about that, the less she thought about defending herself. Soon she'd started weakening further - but this time she didn't even notice, too busy trying to keep from throwing up. Then, all of a sudden, she heard a voice inside her head...or, rather, a few broken words.

 _...don't...you can't..._

Immediately, the words caught all of her attention. _Can't what?_ she found herself asking. _WHAT can I not do?_ As if she _wanted_ to know the answer, as if she was _waiting_ for the _instruction_.

Then she blinked.

"...holy cow," she whispered. This was getting serious.

The bile was gone, now. The "worms" were still there, but she ignored them, concentrating only on her psychic power. She gathered every bit she had left, pinpointed where the voice had come from, and _threw_ it there, sending it screaming along the line of energy that had started to break through.

* * *

This time Botan fell right on her ass, nearly passing out.

" _Holy shit_ ," she gasped, more Threads breaking and others loosening as her hands shot to her head. No, she did _not_ have the defenses for this. Another assault or two like that and she'd become a gibbering lunatic, or at best slip into a coma. She had to get out, _now_ , before Asamiya could muster one...but she also had to _stall_ her, or she'd just hunt her down and finish her anyway.

The Thread. It had gotten her this far; it could get her back to safety. But how? It had weakened the psychic's mind _and_ paralyzed her body, and neither one had stopped her.

Maybe...it could paralyze her mind?

 _...this HAS to work,_ Botan thought desperately. She was doomed if it didn't. She brought her attention back to the remaining strands and, cringing, stopped her attack. Then she immediately wrapped _all_ of them, dozens and dozens of them, around the idol's brain.

Asamiya was free now, and she realized it at once. As expected, she sent out a scan, found her enemy, and pounced. But an instant after the attack began, the puppeteer managed to raise her hands and _clench_ one more time.

Then she blacked out, and the Threads broke off and collapsed...

* * *

...but not before switching off Athena's brain like a light.

* * *

End Notes

Man, that was a tougher fight than I'd expected. Botan's more powerful than I thought she'd be! ...it's all in my head, of course, but this is _not_ what I'd planned for her; this just sort of happened. Sometimes I don't seem to _write_ these stories so much as write them _down_.

Looks like this fight could come down to whoever wakes up first. But will one of Athena's allies be able to turn the tables? See you next update!


	3. Misdirection

Notes

Jeez, it feels like forever since I've come back to this story. (Probably because I'd meant to update it every few days while posting nothing else.) Between then and now, I've figured out this thing's gonna need more than six chapters. More like seven, or maybe even eight. Don't worry, the story's still done - these are just editing issues, that's all.

When we last left Botan she was...unconscious, actually, having psychically fought Athena to a double-KO. But don't count Botan out _this_ early, especially in her own story. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 3: Misdirection

"...ena! Athena! Wake up!"

"mmm...five more minutes, _mama_..."

Sie rolled his eyes and shook her harder. "No, _musume_ , not five more minutes! What happened in here⁇ Get up and tell me‼"

"Ugghh...Kensou, what are you talking abou - "

Athena sat bolt upright, her eyes snapping open.

 _Is she...is she still out there?_ Nervously, the psychic tried to send out another scan - but she couldn't. Something seemed to be freezing her psychic energy. It was fading out, but slowly; for the moment, she was powerless.

"We're in trouble, Sie," she told him, her voice shaky and raw. "Someone attacked my mind, with one of the strongest powers I've ever felt. And she's locked _my_ powers out."

" _...what⁇_ " Sie couldn't believe it. The last time _he'd_ tried that during their training, she had basically laughed at him. (Then she'd locked out _his_ powers with what seemed like a stray thought.)

"It's true, Kensou. I think it'll wear off soon, but we need to act _now_. She won't stay down for long." She swallowed. "Can you sense her...?"

"Lemme see..." The psychic closed his eyes and held his hands to his temple, sending out his own search for any nearby threats. But area scans had never been his forte. "Umm...okay. Yeah, I think she's still out there. ...I can't reach her, though. I can't tell where she is yet, either..."

His partner scowled. "Damnit, Sie, try _harder!_ " she snapped, not even feeling guilty about it. "She could hit us again any second...!"

Cringing, Sie switched tactics. Instead of a general scan, he summoned up a mental eye, something he'd mastered a long time ago (too bad Athena had learned to sense them). He sent it flying through the dojo, phasing through the walls and heading outside...

"Ish everyshing alright, children?"

Kensou's "eye" faded as he came back to reality, looking along with Athena at the doorway. In it stood Master Chin, worried but still; he'd reached them as quietly as a mouse.

"No, Master, it's not," said Athena, shaking her head. "Someone attacked me and blocked my powers. And she's still outside." She felt immensely relieved at his presence; their _sensei_ had next to no psychic abilities, but sensing evil was one of them, and he was better at it than any of them. "Have you noticed her?"

The drunken master smiled. "Why, yesh, my dear...I believe I have."

Then his _sake_ bottle shot out like a lightning bolt, clocking Athena in the temple and throwing her straight to the floor.

* * *

Botan had woken up first.

It hadn't taken her long, either. She had cut off Asamiya's attack, reducing it to a swift shock that wore off quickly. The puppeteer felt weak and jittery, and she could only create a few strands of Thread...but she knew the psychic had suffered too. Right now she could be defenseless, and Botan's best bet was to strike again as fast as she could.

But, uh, _no_. That was _not_ happening. She had seen into the psychic's mind during that last attack. She knew what she could do, now...and she wasn't risking another direct assault in a million years.

The puppeteer still thought she could take Asamiya - even at full strength - but not alone. She needed another power source, or at the least another distraction. She needed help.

Luckily, she'd known just where to get it...

* * *

"What the hell, old - aahh‼"

Kensou had to break off as he threw himself to the side, a Ryu Sogeki backhand missing him by inches. He then had to dodge a series of strikes, the kung fu master throwing them faster than he had in years. Sie got a little breathing room when Chin threw out his bottle, then rolled backwards...but it wouldn't last long.

"She got him," said Athena from the ground, holding her head as she shook it. "I told you, this woman is _dangerous_. My powers are starting to come back, but right now you're the better fighter. So you hold him off while I try to free him, okay?"

"Right," Sie agreed, nodding. (And smiling a little, since she'd called him the better fighter.) He dropped back into his stance. "All right, old man, show me what you've - "

Then he went spinning to the floor, caught completely off guard by a flying Nikikyaku toe kick.

Athena groaned in frustration. "Bao! Momoko! Come help us!" she cried, as she tried to throw a Psycho Ball as a distraction. When it fizzled in her hands, she threw one of her pillows instead. Chin dodged it without thinking, still advancing on Kensou...but the next one winged him, and he stopped and looked at her with an anger she hadn't seen from him in ages.

Swallowing, the martial artist dropped into her stance...then sighed in relief, as Sie plowed into their master with a flying Siku Zanryu kick.

"Damnit, that _hurt_ , you old bastard!" he complained, rubbing his jaw. (He wouldn't speak to him that way normally, of course. ...in fact, he hoped Chin didn't remember this later.) As he broke into a Ryutouda punch combo, Athena settled back and closed her eyes, trying to reach her powers.

After a moment, she was able to delve into her mind. She soon found the energy her attacker had hit her with; she still couldn't see it, but she could _feel_ it, weighing down on her psyche like wet cement. _What IS this stuff...?_ she wondered as she tore at it, having to give it a good effort before it started to come off. Whatever it was, it was clearly blocking her powers, and probably the reason she'd blacked out. Sie had broken up some of it when he woke her, but she'd have to deal with the rest on her own.

Which could be difficult, she realized, as Kensou suddenly flew over the bed and crashed into the wall beside her.

"Sie!" she gasped, falling over him at once. "Are you all right⁇"

"I'm fine, I'm fine," the boy lied, shaking away the stars. "Just fix him! Fast!"

"Right," said Athena with a nod. She turned to the door and started to yell for help again - then realized she'd regained a better option.

 _KIDS‼ Get in here‼_ she "screamed".

"Aah‼" two tiny voices cried from down the hall. Athena ignored them as she dove into her mind once more.

Sie, meanwhile, was beginning to wilt. Chin had started his attack in a violent rage...but he had settled down, now. He was making the stumbling, random moves he saved for serious battles, looking like a drunk but actually ten times more alert. Kensou didn't know how to handle this. He had _never_ known how to handle this.

Cautiously, he tried another Ryutouda. Seemingly a millisecond before it hit, Chin started shuffling backward - and when it _did_ hit, he countered with a lightning-fast Suiho strike that sent Sie flying. Grimacing, the boy threw out a Chokyudan - but seemingly before he _started_ , Chin was rolling through the air. The Toukuu Hiten Hou passed right over the projectile and slammed into Sie's torso repeatedly; he fell to the floor and stayed there, holding his chest and groaning.

Luckily, the cavalry had just arrived.

"Kensou‼" Bao and Momoko shouted from the door, racing into the room. As their master whipped around towards them, the children looked at each other, then nodded. Bao jumped into the air and launched into a Psycho Ball Crush, while Momoko rolled forward in her grounded Phoenix Arrow. Caught between the two attacks, the drunken master got tripped up by the Arrow, skidding to the floor.

The kids tried to take advantage. They really did. But they were far less skilled than Chin, and shorter to boot; once he managed to separate them, they didn't stand a chance. Bao went down to another Suiho counter, caught completely by surprise. Momoko used more caution, but soon ate a Kaitenteki Kutotsuken backhand anyway, sinking to the ground.

The two got up at about the same time. They found Kensou still on the floor, grimacing and clutching his head...and Gentsai drinking from his _sake_ bottle, again and again, getting more red-faced and more dangerous every time. He wiped his lip, then fell into his Chokaroh stance, _daring_ the two to attack him.

 _...we are SO screwed,_ they thought as they looked at each other. Then they turned back to their master-turned-assassin, fear in their eyes.

But then _Chin's_ eyes - the ones that never seemed to open - widened into saucers.

"Got it," Athena announced, collapsing in relief. She had unsealed her powers completely, then turned them on Chin. The power affecting his mind was different, and had seemed much, _much_ stronger...but when she attacked it, it suddenly collapsed into a line of the gunk she'd just dealt with, letting her clear it out easily.

"My goodnessh," the old man mumbled, rubbing the back of his head. " _That_ wash shertainly upshetting."

"We're under attack," Athena explained quickly. "She took over your mind, and she tried to take mine. And I don't think she's finished." With that the psychic closed her eyes, scanning again...

...but she was gone.

"What...?" Athena mumbled, frowning. How had she vanished? And _why_? Wasn't she kinda sorta _winning_? Maybe when her captive broke loose it scared her, and she'd teleported or something. ...no...no, that seemed too easy...

"I can't sense her," she told the others. She looked a question at Chin; when the master shook his head grimly, she sighed. "I'm going out there to make sure she's gone. If she is, I'm setting up some wards. We can go look for her tomorrow, but if she comes back and gets the drop on us we've had it."

"I'll make sure the kids are safe, then join you," Chin offered, still drunk but now in crisis mode.

Athena turned to Kensou, who was only now standing up and groaning. "You help too, Kensou. Stay here and rest, but look around out there with your mind's eye. I'll mend your wounds when I'm done with the wards, and I'll call you if I need help." Then she actually _looked_ at his battered, wobbling form and winced. "Uhh...you'll be okay till then, right...?"

"I'll manage," Sie said simply. He was woozy, but felt certain he could stay conscious and even help with the search.

Meanwhile, Chin Gentsai was beaming. "You've turned into quite the leader, Athena," he told her proudly, making her smile. But then he grimaced. "Me, not so much. A teacher for psychics, falling under hypnosis...how disgraceful. Maybe you four should be giving _me_ defense lessons."

"Oh, sure, _now_ you worry about it," Kensou remarked. He'd been telling him that ever since he'd met the man. "Silly old..."

"...bastard?" said Chin, smirking.

Kensou cringed. _Crap._

"We don't have time for this!" Athena broke in anxiously. "I'm going, guys. You get moving, too." She Teleported away.

With another deadly smirk to Sie, Chin gathered up the kids - Momoko sniffling, Bao looking down - and took them down the hall. Meanwhile Sie laid back on Athena's fluffy bed and sighed, trying to let some of the pain pass before he joined the search.

 _Kensou._

"...huh?" Kensou started to sit up -

 _ **Stay down.**_

And he did.

* * *

End Notes

This one, actually, went exactly as I'd planned. Too bad for Kensou, huh? Sie may be taller, stronger and _manlier_ (hah!) than Athena, but when it comes to psychic power _he's_ the damsel-in-distress. He's got the Dragon Spirit in there somewhere, of course, but without it (as he usually is) he doesn't seem all that effective. I can't remember seeing a canon confirmation that he even has telepathy, much less anything _good_.

Still, he's the next best psychic to Athena in KOF - and now he's in Botan's grasp. What will she choose to do with her new puppet? See you next time!


	4. The Worm

Notes

No side story this week, I'm afraid. Apologies to my loyal, uh, fan. In the meantime, you get the next chapter of this story a day early...and it's a good one.

When we last left Botan, she'd managed to take control of Kensou's mind. (That happens a lot to psychics, doesn't it? You'd think they'd be _more_ resistant...) Today she's going to tell him his new lot in life...and do a little monologuing, heh.

Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 4: The Worm

Kensou fell back on the bed, his muscles no longer working. He frowned and furrowed his brow. "What the - "

 _Quiet. Don't speak. Don't make noise. Don't even MOVE. And don't use any of your powers, either. ...you may whisper, but only to me._

"...who are you?" Sie whispered.

 _They call me Botan, the Puppetmaster,_ she told him with pride. _You can just call me Botan, though. I'm easy._

"What do you want?"

The voice chuckled. _You stupid boy. I want YOU! And the kids, and even that old fool Gentsai. ...but mostly I want HER._

Athena.

"You won't get her," Kensou whisper-growled, gritting his teeth. "She'll find you first."

 _Actually, she won't. I'm already on my way home...and I'm now completely invisible to all psychic sensors._ She paused again; he could almost feel her smiling. _Thanks for that, by the way._

"...what?"

 _YOU did that for me. Because I told you to. Don't remember, do you? That's me too. You see, Kensou, *I* control you now...and you won't do, say, or remember anything I don't want you to._

The boy's face paled. He would've sunk to his knees if he could've.

 _Don't feel too bad about yourself, though. You would've put up a good fight against it, normally. But your teacher was too drunk to fight it at all...and he made a GREAT distraction. Once he stunned you with that flying, rolling thing, it was pretty much over._

Kensou growled again. She could _not_ have beaten them that easily. Chin Gentsai was a kung fu savant, a master of his own awareness...and he was a psychic, damnit!

"I don't believe you," he said defiantly, trying to ignore that he was still whispering.

 _Oh, really._ Another pause. _Stop breathing for me, would you?_

And he did.

 _I told you, Kensou. You belong to me now,_ she repeated, as he desperately tried to make his throat work. _What you think, what you want, doesn't matter anymore. If I tell you to do something, you'll do it. That's it. Maybe you'll jump off a bridge. Maybe you'll commit a terrorist attack. ...maybe you'll slit Asamiya's throat while she sleeps._

 _Damnit,_ the boy thought again, a tear coming to his eye. He was so _useless_...!

 _And that's not all. I can - start breathing again, by the way - I can make you do things you wouldn't normally be able to,_ she went on as he gasped for air. _I could make you saw your arm off, no matter how much it hurt. I could make you seal off your own powers, or forget you ever had them. ...I could wipe out everything that makes you who you are...then tell you who I WANT you to be._

Sweat started to form on Kensou's brow.

* * *

Botan laughed as she walked through the forest to her car, practically clapping her hands in glee. She hadn't taunted a victim like this in ages...but she was proud of herself for this one. This was a psychic. She had captured a _psychic_. And she'd managed it just minutes after she'd blacked out, because of a _stronger_ psychic. (Maybe she had a quick wit after all.) Her confidence had come back with a vengeance; this was such a _rush_.

* * *

 _But,_ she admitted to Kensou, seeming to sigh, _the truth is, I can't REALLY change anything. The minute I let you loose, everything I've told you will go away. You'll become yourself again, and you'll try to fix what you've done. As much as you can, anyway._

 _Your power is almost the same, really. I saw into your mind when I attacked you, and I think I know its limits. You can do some damage mentally; some of it'll even last. But you can remove it. With time a good HYPNOTIST could remove it. You can't REALLY do anything permanent either._

 _But your partner can._

"Oh, crap," Kensou whispered, now sweating _and_ tearing up.

 _When I attacked HER mind, I couldn't see anything. But then she attacked mine, with everything she had...and I saw it all. Asamiya can't just control the mind; she can control the heart. She can turn your SOUL into her plaything. What she can do can last forever...and if she does it right, even SHE won't be able to reverse it._

"I swear to god, if you hurt her...!"

 _And that's what I really want,_ Botan continued, ignoring him. _When you have power - REAL power, like she does - you're supposed to USE it. You take what you want, so nobody can take things from YOU. You goody-goody types never seem to understand that. But if I "convince" Asamiya, and she convinces all of you...well, things'll be different, won't they?_

 _You'll let me join your little family. I'll become a Psycho Soldier, a member of your dojo. I won't have to force you to do what I want, because you'll want it too. You'll welcome me with open arms...and then we'll REALLY take control._

By now, Kensou had gone far past abject horror...and looped back around to confusion.

"Why are you telling me all this?" he whispered.

* * *

Botan blinked.

...why _was_ she telling him all this?

It occurred to her, then, that this was the most she'd spoken to someone since she'd lost those from the past. She had wanted companionship sometimes, too...but she hadn't had the guts to look for it. And talking with someone she'd collared always felt hollow and empty, no matter how far she let out the leash.

Had she decided talking _at_ them was good enough? Was this conversation, this _rant_ what she was using for companionship? That seemed... _really_ twisted.

She shook her head. So maybe she was twisted right now. She'd get over it. After she warped the Soldiers' minds, and had Asamiya make it stick, _they_ would be her companions. Once she'd taken what she wanted, she'd go back to normal soon enough.

(It really didn't occur to her how twisted _that_ thought was.)

* * *

 _That's none of your business,_ Botan "said" to Kensou quietly, sounding just a bit angry. _...you have a point, though. I rambled on WAY too long, didn't I? You're right, Kensou. We should end this._

"...oh, _crap_." That was _not_ the desired effect.

 _I'm going to give you some instructions now, and as soon as I say "Go" you'll start to follow them. You're going to forget everything we've talked about until now. You'll forget that I controlled you, that I spoke to you, that I even attacked you. But the next time I contact you, you won't question it for an instant. You won't wonder who the voice in your head is, or why you want to do what it says. You'll just DO it...and you'll LIKE it. It'll make you happy, and you won't even know why._

"You cannot _do_ this...!"

 _And when I'm ready, I'll have you help me break Asamiya...and you'll like THAT most of all. You'll think it's what best for her - and it will be, trust me. Once she's fixed herself and the rest of you, you'll all be MUCH more interesting people._

Sie blinked. "Fixed herself...?"

 _Well, yeah. I don't want to have to string her along forever, and she's not the type to take control on her own. But she will be. She'll MAKE herself be. ...once I've told her to, of course._

Kensou's heart sank lower than it had in his whole life. The thought of the Psycho Soldiers serving evil was bad enough...but for Athena, his sweet, lovely Athena, to _become_ evil? By her own hand? It was too much for him to bear.

"...spare her," he pleaded, closing eyes that were leaking tears freely now. "Take me. Take the Master. Hell, take the _kids_. But let her go when you're done."

Botan was silent for a moment. When she spoke again, she sounded downright appalled.

 _'...take the kids?' Are you HEARING yourself⁇ What kind of selfish bastard ARE you!?_

"Then spare them too," he told her. "Just - "

 _That's not the point, you lovesick twit. If you think what I'm doing is wrong, fine. I'm not surprised. But throwing children under the bus, just to save a girl you like? Now THAT'S twisted._

The psychic cringed. Yeah, that wasn't his finest moment, come to think of it.

 _Unfortunately for you, Kensou...I'm twisted, too._

"...huh?"

 _I've got another instruction for you, now. We're going to break Asamiya, you and I. We'll get the KIDS to help us too, you'd like that. But when we do...the second she snaps, and falls under my control...you're going to wake up._

Kensou's jaw dropped.

 _For fifteen seconds, you'll ignore everything I've told you. But you'll remember what you've done, and you'll see the results. I want to SEE you see it, Kensou. I think you deserve it._

"...what the _FUCK_ is wrong with you...!?"

 _All right, that should be everything. You have anything else?_

"Stop!"

 _No? Okay then. Ready?_

"Stop‼ _Stop‼_ "

 _Go._

* * *

End Notes

Putting my (well, SNK's) characters through the wringer, aren't I? I'm not this sadistic in real life, I swear...but mind control powers are just so deliciously _evil_. Only a paragon of virtue could keep from going a little nuts with them - and Botan is definitely _not_ one of those.

Good thing Athena is, huh? The question is, for how _long_. Has Botan woven the perfect plan, or will it unravel on her? See you next update!


	5. Prep Time

Notes

Nothing much to report today. I'm having trouble with the next chapter of The Deal, but I think I'll still finish on time; there just may not be a side story next week, that's all. I'm kind of surprised that story's doing so much better than this one - comedy and romance are fun, but action and drama draw me in. Good ol' Botan still has her fans, though, and I appreciate every one of you. Thanks to Dragojin in particular, who left a review but has private messaging disabled. :P

When we last left Botan, she was telling Kensou her plans, then immediately making him forget them. At least you got to see them too! (Why else would she've done it, eh?) Now she's just got to carry them out...starting with Bao and Momoko. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 5: Prep Time

The Soldiers' next two days were busy, but boring. They spent much of the time trying to find their assailant, working with both mental and physical senses. They went through the woods, into the mountains, and even back to the city, with Athena running her area scan as much as she could on the way. But of course they never found her...and without even knowing what she looked like, they couldn't exactly ask around.

Whenever Athena wasn't doing that, she was working on her wards. She set up new ones repeatedly, testing them and the old ones again and again, covering every type of attack she could think of. Her teammates knew she was rattled, could tell it just by looking at her; she clearly did _not_ want to come that close to the edge again. She didn't get Chin and the kids involved, since they couldn't do much...but she dragged Kensou with her every step of the way, having him do his own tests and help her with any changes.

Of course "helping her" was the _last_ thing on Kensou's mind.

If the days were boring for the Soldiers, they were a complete slog for Botan. She didn't need to worry about the search (she was invisible) or the wards (he was sabotaging them). But she also had nothing to do with all the downtime; she knew almost no Chinese, and she hadn't brought anything from home. She spent most of her time alone, either at her hotel or in the woods by the dojo, watching the Soldiers through Kensou's Thread and dreaming of the day they'd be her peers instead of her prey.

It wasn't a complete waste of time, though. While Kensou and Asamiya were busy, Gentsai made good on his promise to take mental defense lessons, working with Bao and Momoko. At first he had no problem with children an eighth of his age teaching him; "everyone can learn _shome_ thing from anyone," he said. But by the second day, it became clear that the kids needed some help themselves. He explained this to Asamiya, and she agreed to work with Momoko...and asked Kensou to work with Bao.

Alone.

 _Bingo,_ Botan thought gleefully.

Instead of the main training room, the two went to one of the dojo's back rooms, looking for as few distractions as possible. They sat down across from each other and, naturally, started speaking in Chinese. (The others only spoke Japanese around Athena and Momoko, since it was their native tongue. ...of course, this meant Kensou spoke more Japanese than Chinese, since he stayed around Athena most of the time.)

Botan had to put a stop to _that_ , of course. _Switch languages,_ she ordered Kensou.

"Hey - while we're at it, why don't we work on your Japanese?" Kensou asked casually, getting a nice twinge of happiness for his trouble.

Bao winced. "Ahh...okay, but...my Japanese not so good is," he said cautiously.**

( _...oh, THIS is gonna be fun,_ Botan groused.)

"That's okay," Kensou assured him, smiling. "So. What do you remember about defense, Bao? What would _you_ do if somebody attacked your mind?"

"It block out, with force of will," said Bao.

"Yeah, but _how_?" Kensou pressed. "What's your technique?"

"Umm...shield thinking," the boy tried. "A shield, in my mind imagine."

"Okay, that's a good one," said Sie, nodding. "But you're strong enough now that you might have a better option. Remember what happened last time you attacked me?"

"Yeah. You at me push back until me hurt you," Bao replied, looking annoyed.

(By this time Botan was banging her head against a tree outside. _He HAD to slack off in language class,_ she thought bitterly.)

"...oh yeah. Sorry about that," Kensou chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "But no. I mean, what did you _see_ when you did it?"

Bao thought for a moment. "...a cloud," he finally answered. "A cloud in your head."

"Right. Well, that 'cloud' was actually my psychic energy. All of it," Sie explained. "You can form it up in your mind as a barrier, and it'll stay that way by itself. It'll make it tougher to catch you off guard, and once you _do_ know you're in trouble, you can form it into a stronger barrier or use it to counterattack." He held out his hand. "Go on. Go into your mind and give it a try."

(Immediately, Botan snapped to attention.)

Bao nodded, put his fingers to his temple, and concentrated. A faint blue glow started to radiate from his forehead. "...I don't see," he complained.

"It'll be in the back of your mind," said Kensou. "Connected to your core, and probably right behind it."

 _Get in there and show him._

"Here, let me show you," Kensou said, smiling. He closed his own eyes and sent out his consciousness; of course Bao welcomed him, and Sie quickly dove into his mind.

 _[Botan's power had its limitations. One was that she couldn't access her victims' senses; for example, she couldn't see through Kensou's eyes right now. Her eyes came from the Thread itself, the one attached to his brain. From its perspective, she could normally see the same things he could...but it couldn't follow him into someone's psyche._

 _She knew what one looked like in general. She could enter her PUPPETS' psyches whenever she wanted. But what was Kensou seeing now, she wondered, as he met Bao's mind? ...and could he still talk to him in there? She certainly HOPED so.]_

Soon the young man was next to the boy in his psyche. They appeared to each other as bright, shapeless forms, Sie's stronger but Bao's more vibrant. Kensou asked Bao mentally if he was hurting him; Bao answered by shaking his, er, _self_ "no".

 _Open up his mind. Tell him it's for an example._

 _Okay, Bao...first thing's first,_ Sie began. _I'm gonna distract your thoughts now, to make it harder to defend yourself. That'll show you what your enemies will be trying to do, okay?_

 _Umm...okay,_ Bao thought nervously.

Kensou was no match for Athena, but in the mind of a lesser psychic he worked fast. Soon Bao was swaying on his seat, his eyes open but blank, unable to mount a defense or even form a complex thought.

And that's when she hit him.

Bao's eyes snapped into focus as two dozen Threads knifed into his brain. He tried desperately to hold them off, but his betrayer was still clouding his mind, making it impossible. It didn't help that Kensou kept sending him thoughts like _It's okay_ , _Don't fight it_ and _This is a friend_...especially since those were the only _clear_ thoughts he had to go by at the moment.

All too soon, the Puppetmaster had sewn up his psyche, woven into his core, and made him hers.

She told Kensou to back off while she gave Bao his "programming". The boy's eyes blinked rapidly, new thoughts forming and old ones changing. After a moment, he looked up at his mentor in shock. " _...whoa,_ " he said simply, breaking into a grin.

"Damn right whoa," Kensou laughed, feeling _very_ happy now.

( _One down, one to go,_ thought Botan, pretty happy herself.)

* * *

It was the last interesting thing to happen that day. Asamiya came back to Kensou before long, and they went back to work; she looked frustrated, but that was nothing new these days. He and Botan never got a chance to corner Momoko, her next target. They did _see_ her a few times, though - and she too looked troubled, far from her usual bubbly self. Concerned, Kensou asked her why, but she just shrugged it off.

The next day, he found out soon enough anyway. Asamiya said she wanted to work with Momoko again before lunch, and she told Kensou to take Bao and do the same. Of course, this just meant goof-off time for the boys, since neither of them needed defense lessons anymore. But for the girls, it was serious business...which became clear an hour later, when Asamiya came back to their room in tears and moaned that she was getting nowhere with Momoko.

Then, when she found out about Kensou's "success", she asked _him_ to give it a try.

( _Perfect. This is TOO perfect,_ Botan thought, literally rolling on the ground laughing. A powerful psychic she might be, but Asamiya was a lousy tactician. She hadn't scanned her partners' minds even once since the attack, something Botan had thought about and prepared for the very next day. ...but that was okay. Botan could think _for_ Asamiya. Maybe she'd even be the brains of the group; that could be fun, if it didn't get them all killed.)

Soon the young woman had fetched the girl, both of them looking miserable. Kensou helpfully asked for privacy without being told; pleased, Botan ordered him to blink, an easy instruction that still gave him his reward. Soon Kensou and Momoko sat in a room by themselves, just as he and Bao had the day before.

"Okay, Momoko," he began. "So what can _you_ do?"

"Uhh...whaddaya mean?" she asked, cocking her head.

( _At least this one speaks Japanese,_ Botan thought.)

"Well, I mean defense-wise," said Kensou. "When Athena attacked you, what did you do?"

"Oh. Well, lots of things," she mumbled. "I thought of a shield...I tried to deflect her...I molded my energy...but none of it worked." She started to tear up. "I'm a bad psychic..."

"You're not a bad psychic," he assured her. "You're just better with physical tricks than mental ones, that's all." _And besides,_ he continued, _you can still do THIS, can't you?_

"Huh? ...oh." She blushed. "Well, kinda."

Then, suddenly, she reached over and grabbed Kensou's hand.

 _But I have to be touching you first,_ she told him, looking embarrassed.

 _[Power Limitation #2: Botan could not hear telepathy. She could speak to her thralls mentally, but they had to answer back with words. In fact, she'd never REALLY learned to interpret someone's thoughts at all. She couldn't read minds, see memories, or even feel moods; she didn't have the smarts for it, or at least she'd never thought she did._

 _So when Kensou and Momoko switched from verbal to mental, Botan was totally lost. And she got even more lost when KENSOU started to blush, looking off to the side and not meeting Momoko's eyes. Once the girl released his hand, he came back to himself, blinking in confusion.]_

"What the hell was _that?_ " Kensou asked, as Botan thought the same.

"Sister didn't tell you about that, huh?" Momoko said, smiling. "Well, when _I_ talk to your mind, you can hear what I'm thinking _and_ feel what I'm feeling. If I don't concentrate, it can get...'intense', I think she called it?"

"Whoa," Sie breathed, looking at his teammate with newfound respect.

(Botan, meanwhile, was looking at her like a piece of meat, rubbing her hands and practically licking her chops. _Now, this...THIS will be useful,_ she relished, and any thoughts that she was "twisted" were far, far away.)

"Sister doesn't know why, though," the girl went on. "Even the Master's never heard of it. They want me to learn to hold it back, but...it's like it's getting stronger on its own."

"Well, they're right, Momoko. You've gotta control things like that," Kensou agreed. But then he smiled. "Even so, that's a really neat - "

 _Enough talk. I want her NOW. Enter her mind and scout her out._

The boy cut himself off, shaking his head as if to clear it. "Actually, never mind that - we've got work to do. You mind if I get inside your head, to see what we're dealing with?"

"Sure," Momoko said, nodding.

Kensou focused and sent his consciousness into the girl's psyche. He looked around at her defenses and found...well, nothing, really. She had almost as much psychic energy as Bao, but very little was directly attached to her core. That was why she couldn't do much mentally; she could probably sling a mean fireball, though.

"...okay, maybe we can work with this," he said carefully. "The deflection technique can still - "

 _Does she have any defenses at ALL?_

"No, not really."

"...huh?"

That was all she had time for, as Botan stabbed into her brain without even bothering to bind her. Momoko let out a sharp yelp as her hands shot to her head, and soon she'd fallen from her seat to the floor. But as Kensou had promised, she didn't have much energy to work with, and she hadn't even begun to master any defensive techniques. In a matter of seconds, the Puppetmaster had her too.

As she gave her her programming, Athena burst into the room. "What's going on⁇ I heard a noise. Is everything okay!?" she gushed, on the verge of panic.

"Just a little mishap," Sie said smoothly, down at Momoko's side in an instant. "I pushed a bit too hard, that's all. She'll be okay in a second."

"Thank goodness," Athena sighed, putting her hand to her heart. Rather than leaving, though, she crouched down by Momoko anxiously. "You okay, Momo?" she asked, just as the girl stopped blinking.

Momoko stared into her idol's caring, smiling face. Her heart sank; teardrops beaded at her eyes. And yet she mumbled, "Yeah, I'm fine," without a hint of deception. What she wanted didn't matter anymore.

"Alright, good," said Athena, smiling wider. She stood up to leave, giving Kensou a withering look. "Be _careful_ , Sie!" she scolded him on her way out.

"Sorry, sorry," he called meekly, as she shut the door behind her.

As soon as she was gone, the tears spilled down Momoko's cheeks. She fell forward into Kensou's arms, burying her head into his shoulder. "I don't like lying to Sister," she whimpered, rubbing her eyes against his shirt.

...then they blinked a few times, and her face lit up. "Wait a second. _Yes_ I do," she giggled, her sadness suddenly, totally gone.

"Yeah, me too," Kensou chuckled...but he knew exactly how she'd felt.

The Voice had told Kensou a lot over the past few days, and every bit of it had come true. He wanted to break Asamiya. He wanted the Voice in her head too. He liked lying to her, hiding things from her, and plotting against her. And he especially liked following orders, no matter how crazy they seemed. But above all else, what Sie _loved_ was still Athena - and he knew he was doing things she really, _really_ wouldn't want. The Voice hadn't taken either of those feelings from him yet...but then, it had never really _tried_.

The most important thing it had told him was that she'd end up better off. That was the only thing getting him through this...and he desperately hoped that _that_ came true, too.

* * *

End Notes

Okay, mind control isn't so delicious when it involves children. :( Writing this one made me feel bad...but I didn't have much choice. Like I said earlier, I don't have much more control of this story than Botan's puppets have of themselves. Bao and Momoko were pretty fun to play with, though; might have to try writing them again in the future.

Next time, the battle begins. Botan's assembled quite a force here, but Athena's a force all her own. Is she strong enough to take on _everyone else on her team_ , not to mention their new leader? See you next update!

** Bao's speech here is _not_ racist comic relief. Chinese and Japanese are similar, but have a lot of differences, such as putting the verb in different places in a sentence. I think Bao's too young to know both languages, so I have him learning Japanese and gave him a translation problem common to new language learners. (It's okay if you laughed, though. You're not a terrible person. ;)


	6. Soldiers' Last Stand

Notes

We're coming up on the end of this one, kids. I don't plan to replace it with a new series yet, but with any luck I'll pump out one or two side stories before finishing The Deal. After that, I'll probably take a brief hiatus; after that, who knows? There's one more series I KNOW I'm gonna write, but if my creativity holds out I've got tons of other ideas. We'll see how it goes.

When we last left Botan, she'd taken control of the Psycho Soldiers...except for one. Today the final battle begins, and their fate will be decided. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

By noon, Botan had decided.

This would be the day.

She'd finished collecting the Soldiers before they'd even gone to lunch. That left a whole lot of daylight to plan her attack. Her minions even helped her out with it, telling her more about their powers and discussing tactics with each other. They weren't doing it against their wills, either; by now Botan had groomed them to love every bit of it (although secretly Sie still had his doubts).

Asamiya barely paid attention to them, lost in her own little world. She alternated between needlessly rechecking her wards and failing to keep up with her training. She thought she'd have an easier time working with Gentsai directly...but Botan had reclaimed him a long time ago. He actually tried his best to make things _harder_ on the girl, since her enemy wanted her as frazzled as possible.

Right around sunset, Botan decided they were as ready as they'd ever be. She had the kids go take naps, just to put them on standby, while Gentsai and Kensou tried to convince Asamiya to do the same. She was working too hard, they told her; her defenses would be down like this anyway. She argued with them all the way up to dinnertime, when she fell asleep in her soup. After that she decided that yeah, maybe she could do with some rest.

She went to bed soon after - but refused to lay down. She wanted to be able to Teleport in a heartbeat, she said. She went to sleep sitting up, which, of course, took her a while. Even after that it wasn't over - Botan knew REM sleep made for the best results, and for once she had a way to track it. She put Gentsai out (she wouldn't need him anyhow) and let the kids stay that way; it was just Kensou now, sitting in the next room and monitoring Asamiya's brainwaves. Kensou alone, with Asamiya's thoughts; Kensou alone, with his _own_ thoughts.

Until, out of nowhere, he decided to share them.

"You know, I was thinking," he said into empty air.

(Out in the woods, Botan blinked.) _...are you talking to me?_

"Yeah," Kensou replied. "I know you've been telling me to do things, to _think_ things, lately. I know you're the reason I think we're doing what's best. I don't really mind, because it all feels _right_ somehow...but, is this the right way to do it?"

( _Holy shit, is he RESISTING?_ she thought to herself. She tugged at his Thread, felt into his mind; no, she didn't _feel_ any struggling...)

 _What do you mean?_

"Well, even _if_ she'll be better off - even if she knew that ahead of time - Athena wouldn't want this," he went on. "She doesn't like being betrayed. She doesn't like being manipulated. And she _hates_ being mind-controlled. ...we had a bad experience with that. So maybe we could, I dunno, talk to her or something? I mean, I like tricking Athena...but I don't want to hurt her."

Silence.

 _...you really do care for her, don't you._

"With all my heart," said Sie.

* * *

Out in the woods, Botan sank to her knees.

 _...damnit,_ she swore to herself, closing her eyes. It seemed she'd misjudged Sie Kensou, and badly. He wasn't just _lovesick_ over Asamiya...he was _in love_ with her, period. No wonder he had been ready to sacrifice the kids. Hell, she might've said the same thing herself.

Could she really use this boy to totally change the girl he loved? To make her "evil"? To _destroy_ her, so that neither of them would ever be the same? The non-twisted part of her was screaming inside. Maybe...maybe she should back off for now, and come up with a different plan...

 _...no._ Not now. She was too damn close. Kensou could love Asamiya later, and she'd be happy to see it. She'd make _sure_ he did, even. But for now...

* * *

 _...no you don't._

"Huh?"

 _You don't care about Asamiya. You don't need her; you don't want her. You don't even LIKE her. You couldn't care less what she wants, or if she hurts. In fact, you don't even care about what's best for her. You are only doing this because it will benefit YOU. THAT is how you feel, Kensou...for now, anyway. Do you understand?_

"Yeah," said Kensou. The response was quick, certain, confident...and a little bit sad.

 _Oh, cheer up, you ninny._ (Out in the woods Botan was rolling her eyes.) _Don't get all weepy on me. Tell you what: whenever you think of any of that, it'll make you HAPPY. All right?_

"...yeah," said Kensou again - but nodding this time. Smiling.

 _So do you care about Asamiya?_

"Not one bit," he said, grinning.

 _And why are you helping me?_

"It's all for me, baby," he laughed, almost giddy.

 _THERE you go, sport. Now get back to your monitoring, and remember what I told you...but forget that we talked about it._

He didn't even say "okay". For him there was nothing to respond to. He just went back to staring at nothing, checking Athena's brainwaves and smirking at how much they were about to change. Chuckling at how little he cared about her...and wondering if he ever really had.

 _[Power Limitation #3: Botan's victims took her words very, VERY literally. Forgetting a detail, or even using poor phrasing, could make a world of difference. When she gave people orders, they did EXACTLY what she told them; they could interpret what she DIDN'T tell them any way they wished.]_

* * *

A half hour later, it was time.

Asamiya laid slumped against her headboard, peaceful and still. Botan woke the children, and the four took their marks, each knowing when he or she would come into play. Then the puppeteer began releasing Thread after Thread, sending them through the wall and into her target's room. She wove her web tighter than ever before; Asamiya would be lucky if she could _talk_ , much less Teleport.

Botan rolled the Threads back, pulling them taut. She pointed the ends of every one of them at Asamiya's brain. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath.

And then she _clenched_.

* * *

At first Athena just twitched, her sleep too deep for a bigger response. But then her enemy started digging in, and she began to wake. Her eyes fluttered open; they looked around for a second, confused.

And then they widened into saucers.

No. _No._ This was _not_ happening again. She'd taken so many precautions! Making a sleep schedule, posting lookouts, setting up countless wards...what _was_ this woman, some kind of ghost!? ...no, she couldn't be _that_ ; a ghost wouldn't have been able to _hurt_ her like this.

She'd caught her as off-guard as possible. Already, almost half of her energy was gone. Fear overwhelming her anger, Athena turtled up instead of trading hits, forming the rest of her power into a barrier stronger than steel (mentally speaking).

It worked. Her foe's energy stopped advancing, couldn't break in one more "inch". But every time it tried, it wore at Athena just a little bit more - and it seemed to be attacking from a hundred different directions. She could've tried pushing back, tried sending out a distress signal...but if she did _anything_ else with her powers, her attacker could start in again. And she had no idea how long she could hold out.

With no other choice, the psychic grit her teeth, focused, and settled in for the siege. If this came down to a battle of wills, she was _not_ going to lose.

Then, suddenly, Kensou burst into the room.

"Athena!" he cried, looking panicked. He seemed to know what was happening already; the wards must have alerted _him_ , at least. "Hold on!"

"...Sie...t-thank..." She couldn't finish the sentence; she couldn't break her concentration. Instead, she said simply, "...h...help..."

His hands were already at his temple, his forehead already glowing. "I can combine my energy with yours, Athena!" he told her. "We'll push back at her together!"

"...no...! Just..." She wanted to tell him that the enemy had almost no defense. That he just had to find her and attack her, and this would all be over. But she couldn't finish _that_ sentence, either.

 _Let me help you, Athena!_ Sie pleaded, and he was inside her head now. Still stuck outside her barrier, he'd started fighting the enemy on his own, but he made absolutely no progress. It was kind of giving her an annoying tickle, too. _Please, let me in...!_

If she let their energies combine, Sie could share some of her burden. Then she wouldn't have to work so hard, and she'd be able to talk to him - maybe even mentally. Seeing no other options, the psychic opened the barrier for her partner, though it still kept her attacker locked out tight.

Sie's energy came pouring in, and already she felt some relief. It washed over and around her own, fusing with it, strengthening the barrier and lowering the pressure on her. Feeling just strong (and brave) enough to try it, Athena diverted some of her concentration, preparing to send the message that would end this.

And then Sie's energy exploded.

Back on her bed, Athena screamed in pain and horror, even less prepared for this attack than the first. And it was a good one, too: Kensou had merged with her so thoroughly that he'd hit her whole barrier, all of her energy, at once. It had cut her power by half again, maybe even more...and what was left was riddled with holes, like swiss cheese.

 _...why? Why⁇ WHY...!?_ He'd attacked her. _Sie Kensou_ had attacked her. Had he switched sides⁇ ...no...no, he would _never_ betray her. Unless...

Then it clicked.

"Oh, no...Sie...no," she moaned, looking at him with tears in her eyes. She'd been such a fool...!

"It's for the greater good, Athena," Kensou promised. He'd spent most of his own energy on that kamikaze attack - but the rest was still fighting her, slowly rotting her barrier from within. "This woman knows what's best for us. She's going to _change_ us, going to make us better people."

"All you have to do is give in."

This last came from Botan as she walked into the room, meeting her enemy in person for the first time. Her face and build looked a little bit _off_ , for someone of...well, of this _era_ , really. But she dressed like she'd been here for ages, clad in a tube top, hot pants, shin-high boots and fighting gloves (all black leather). Her dark, bobbed hair hung just above her only accessory: a fox stole with the head still attached, so well-preserved it looked alive.

"...who are you..." Athena choked out.

"They call me Botan, the Puppetmaster," she told her with pride. She was smirking, her hands raised, her fingers playing with invisible strings...strings that were likely _attached to her_ , Athena realized. "I let some people call me Botan...but you've been too big a pain in the ass. _You_ will call me _Master_...until I'm done with you, at least."

Still struggling to defend herself, Athena couldn't manage a response. So Botan looked at her partner instead, wearing a sickly smile. "Excellent work, Kensou," she told him.

"My pleasure, Botan," he said warmly. And indeed, he did look happy.

Okay, _that_ pissed her off. Teeth gritted and eyes closed again, Athena shut out the world, gathered her energy for an attack -

\- and gasped, as Botan chose _that_ moment to start moving the Thread.

The "worms" crawled over Athena again, and already she was feeling sick. But she had learned to counter this. Diverting a bit of her concentration, she brought her aura up to the surface...and, with a bit _more_ concentration, made it a defense. So far it couldn't block punches, or get these wretched strings off of her - but it _could_ deaden her nerves, to pain or anything else. Soon the wriggling feeling faded away, and Athena sighed and went back to turtling.

Botan scowled, annoyed but not that surprised. Asamiya was smart enough, at least, to learn to defend against new attacks. This was why she hadn't tried to paralyze the psychic's brain: if she'd learned a defense against _that_ , it would've left _Botan_ powerless. Best to leave that trump card for an emergency...especially since fighting _two_ attackers, and keeping up _two_ shields, seemed to be wearing her enemy down.

"Give it up, Asamiya."

 _You'll be happier at Botan's side._

 _And we're all waiting for you there!_

...was that...Bao?

Athena couldn't help but open her eyes - and it was true. The third Psycho Soldier had entered the room, looking as cheerful and carefree as ever. His happy face was a stark contrast to Athena's, which had broken down in tears. "Bao...not you, too...!" she wailed miserably.

 _It'll be a blast, Sis,_ he continued, ignoring her. _Big Sis has taught us so many things about life. Once she talks to you, you'll have a whole new outlook - and you're gonna love it! Plus, sometimes she makes our powers stronger, just by telling us to do things. I can do telepathy better, Bro can use his energy sources better...I can even shoot Psycho Balls again! And she wasn't even TRYING for that one!_

Bao hadn't figured out how to attack minds yet, so he'd been given a different assignment: distraction. He "spoke" to Athena urgently, begging for attention - attention she needed for defending herself. And it worked: Bao was halfway through his little speech before she realized she'd been slipping, and her enemy had dug in even deeper.

She shut him out, shut _everything_ out, and strengthened her shields to their limits. ...or, at least, she _tried_ to. Telepathy was harder to ignore than her regular senses, and Bao _would not shut up_. Meanwhile Botan continued her relentless advance, forcing Athena closer and closer to the edge.

 _Come on, Sis. Won't you join us?_ Bao went on (and on and on). _You're making Bro tired. You're making ME worry. And worst of all...you're making Momo sad._

 _Momo!?_

Athena's eyes flew back open, and there she was. The last Psycho Soldier was walking towards her, a heartrending expression on her face.

"No. _No,_ " she pleaded, struggling physically for the first time. Momoko was the weakest of the four mentally - except for the "quirk" with her telepathy. Athena knew what she could do, knew what was about to happen to her...and she couldn't possibly resist it, not like this. Her shield was all but forgotten as she jerked and thrashed, trying to Teleport, to run, _anything_...but the bonds were even tighter than last time, and she didn't budge an inch.

All too soon, her doom was right in front of her. Breathing hard and passing frantic, Athena looked into her eyes. "Momo. Please. _Don't,_ " she whispered, tears streaming down her face.

But that just made the girl sadder, as she followed orders anyway.

The instant she touched her, Momoko (at Botan's suggestion) fell even further, into the deepest, darkest, most crippling depression of her life...and Athena went with her. They immediately broke into fits of devastated sobs, their hearts breaking, their spirits shattering. Athena _tried_ to keep up her defense, but she didn't _want_ to anymore; right now she would much rather slit her own wrists.

 _Don't you want to be with me anymore, Sister...?_ Momoko moaned into her mind.

"I... _can't_ ," Athena gasped.

 _She already has us. We have to be with HER now,_ the child whimpered. _...and I can't do it without you..._

Athena's sobs redoubled. She wanted to hold her, to comfort her, tell her it'd be okay - as much for her own benefit as Momo's. But she was trapped, completely, in both body and mind. She could do nothing, not even protect herself...and she was barely trying to, now.

 _Just let go, Athena._

 _It's a good thing! Really!_

 _Please stay with me, Sister..._

Now all of them were talking to her, a sea of voices swimming in her head. Athena _hoped_ she was still fighting, but she doubted it at this point; all she was really doing was waiting, waiting for the voice that would end it...

 _It'll be alright._

 _She'll help us!_

 _We'll feel so much better..._

 _It's over._

 _Give in._

 _Let it happen._

 _It's time._

 _ **Stop resisting.**_

And there it was.

The tiny remnants of Athena's shield turned into jello. She didn't even notice it, still swept up in an ocean of confusion and despair. She didn't notice the rest of Botan's energy skirting her own, or sewing through her psyche. But she _did_ notice when it reached her core, and wove into her soul.

And she knew that the Puppetmaster had taken her, too.

* * *

End Notes

...well, hell. Bet you weren't expecting a cliffhanger from a chapter this long, were you? I _told_ you this thing was writing itself. I do hope I wrote it _down_ well, though-I wanted it to be detailed, not a slog. We haven't seen Botan's sensitive side in a while; remember, she's not _pure_ evil. She's evil _enough_ , however, to pose a serious problem, like she did today.

The battle is over, and the Soldiers have lost. Even _Athena_ 's become a damsel-in-distress. Will they help Botan take over the world, or do they have one last trick up their sleeve? See you for the finale!


	7. Spirit

Notes

Well, here it is. My second long-running series to come to a close. Learned a bit from this one, I think, or at least from doing it at the same time as The Deal. First off, my next series'll have longer chapters than this one; even if I have to space them out more, I feel like a two-week wait for 4,000 words is better than a one-week wait for 2,000. Second, the readership is different between here and AO3. At AO3, this is the more popular story, but at FFN The Deal is kicking this one's butt. :P Not sure if it's just a demographic thing or if this one has more interesting tags there, but it's something to think about either way.

When we last left Botan, _she'd friggin' won_. Bet you didn't see that coming from an Athena fanboy, huh? All that's left is the ending; I'll let you decide if it's a happy one or a bad one. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 7: Spirit

 _FINALLY._ Botan relaxed, dropped the unnecessary Threads, sighed in relief...and grinned.

She had done it. She had _done_ it. Asamiya was _hers_. More than that, her plan had worked like a charm. She hadn't had to risk using her trump card; the girl's own teammates had tipped the scales by themselves. Forget clever or witty - for the first time in her life, Botan actually felt _smart_. And it had given her more power, more control, than ever before.

The Puppetmaster started to laugh. Maniacally. Fulfilled, triumphant, giddy, she let herself go, belting laugh after laugh out into the -

Then she blinked.

"Don't move, don't attack, don't use your powers," she told Asamiya quickly. Good grief, she had almost forgotten. _...what was that, about five seconds?_ she groused, not feeling so smart anymore.

She needn't have worried, though. The instant she'd won, Bao and Momoko had automatically gone to sleep, and Athena's depression vanished instantly...but it was replaced by fear, fear like she hadn't felt since her early days of fighting evil. And it disabled her perfectly well on its own; she'd managed to gasp, widen her eyes, and clap her hands over her mouth - and then she'd sat there, paralyzed, terrified of what would happen to her now.

But while Athena was paralyzed, her partner was finally free.

Sie Kensou had become himself again, just as Botan had promised days ago. It took him just a split second to realize where he was, what he'd done, and how he really felt about it. His instincts were to scream in anguish, fall to his knees, rip his heart out...but that wasn't what he did. That wasn't what Sie Kensou did at all.

Meanwhile, Botan approached Asamiya, wearing another, darker grin. She had slipped into Evil Mode again, her thoughts racing with ways she could punish her new puppet for giving her so much trouble. Asamiya could only stare up at her in horror, breathing as hard as her frozen body would let her.

"Asamiya Athena," Botan oozed, savoring the moment. "You can't _imagine_ what I'm going to do with that beautiful mind of yours..."

Athena whimpered, would've started shaking if she could.

But then the girl's eyes turned to Kensou, who had started to growl. Botan heard him, too, but didn't even turn his way; she didn't really care about him anymore. "Hey, Kensou. Good to have you back. Don't move don't attack don't use your powers," she said coolly.

Then, to Asamiya, "I had your _boyfriend_ here wake up so he could watch me reprogram you." She had jerked her thumb back toward him, still not looking at him - even though the noise was starting to annoy her. "But it turns out, he's actually a pretty good guy. Hopefully you'll give...give him a chance sometime. I want to see - I want to see you kids make it _WHAT_ are you growling about back there⁇"

Irritated now, Botan whirled around with a scowl - that turned into a wide-eyed stare.

Kensou too was frozen in place, but he had already taken position. His arms were down at his sides, his fists thrust out in front of him; his knees were braced, and his head was bent forward. More importantly, he was staring at Botan with death in his eyes...and a faint, cerulean aura.

"What are you doing?" Botan demanded. "I told you, don't use your powers!"

But it wasn't _his_ power that Kensou was using.

His aura suddenly flared outwards, reaching almost to the ceiling. His eyes started to glow, the color matching his aura. A wind picked up from out of nowhere, filling up the room with noise. But none of that stopped Kensou, who had something to say.

"It was a good plan, Botan!" he called out over the roar. "You're smarter than you think! ...but you made three big mistakes!"

" _Listen_ to me, damnit! _Stop using your powers!_ " But the aura only increased; the wind only blew faster.

"You shouldn't have let me snap out of it!"

"Stop it! Stop‼ Whatever you're doing, _stop‼_ " But it had already begun; nothing could stop it anymore.

"You shouldn't have let me remember I would!"

" _Sleep‼ Fall over‼ KILL YOURSELF‼_ " But Kensou was beyond her now; his eyes were solid, brilliant sapphires.

"...and you shouldn't have let me keep loving her."

With that, he leaned back, screamed - and the Dragon Spirit returned, bursting forth from Kensou until it tore through the ceiling.

For Botan, fear made the mind work _faster_...and right now it was in hysterics. Her first thought was to try to control the thing - but she dismissed that immediately, almost laughing at herself. Her next thought was to get Asamiya to help her - but even _her_ powers surely paled in comparison to this. Get Kensou to tell it to stand down? Probably wouldn't even listen. Get Athena to teleport them? Could she even teleport others? Wake Bao, and make it annoyed? Wake Momoko, and make it _unhinged_? Wake Gentsai and have him do _nothing_ ⁇ ...but what could _she_ do about this⁇ Scream? Cry? Run? _Where_ ⁇ It could fly through walls, it was twenty feet tall, it already had her in its sights -

\- and it did not look happy.

 _YOU ARE A GRAVE THREAT TO THIS WORLD,_ it boomed mentally, "speaking" to Botan but heard by Sie and Athena too. _NOT JUST EVIL, BUT UNCERTAIN. NOT JUST POWERFUL, BUT A PAWN. ...BUT NO MORE._

Its eyes flashed. Botan screamed bloody murder, falling to the ground and holding her head, as all her puppets were set free, all the Threads she'd bound to them were broken...and her ability to create them was taken away.

 _YOU WILL FORGET YOU EVER HELD THIS POWER,_ the Dragon commanded her. _YOU WILL LEAVE THIS LAND, FORGET WHY YOU CAME, AND NEVER RETURN. AND IF YOU APPROACH THESE SOULS AGAIN, YOU WILL PERISH. NOW GO!_

Still clearly in pain, Botan nevertheless broke into a stumbling run, leaving the bedroom, fleeing the dojo and vanishing into the night.

But the Dragon wasn't finished.

It turned to Kensou, less angry but just as imposing. He and his teammates were all looking at it now, the kids awake and the adults free to move. Bao, who'd brought it to them, stared at it in awe; Momoko, who had never seen it, turned away in fear. Athena looked all around it for signs of movement, eternally grateful but always wary...and Kensou looked it right in the eye, his face reverent but confident, seeing both a god and his peer.

 _YOU HAVE DONE WELL TO SUMMON ME,_ the Dragon praised. _BUT YOU HAVE MUCH TO LEARN. YOU AND YOURS HAVE BECOME TARGETS, BOTH FOR YOUR POWERS AND MY OWN. YOU MUST LEARN TO MASTER ALL OF THEM, WHETHER IN OR OUT OF CRISIS. AND YOU MUST LEARN TO PROTECT THEM...BEFORE ANOTHER CAN CONTROL THEM._

"I understand," said Kensou solemnly.

With that the Dragon Spirit withdrew, lifting Kensou from the ground as it rushed back in as fast as it had emerged. _I WILL BE WATCHING,_ it warned ominously, right before it vanished.

Kensou landed on the ground in a kneel, facing away from his teammates. He breathed hard for a moment, stood up and steadied himself; then he turned back towards them.

"...well," the young man mumbled, rubbing the back of his head. " _That_ was certainly upsetting."

Bao and Momoko started to cheer and run toward him - but they stopped when they saw Athena, leaping from the bed and directly into his arms. She was convulsing in sobs, both from the ordeal and the relief; he held her closely and securely, supporting her the way he'd always wanted. The kids looked at each other, smiled, took each others' hands and watched, knowing this could be important.

"She turned me against you every way she could think of," Kensou told her. "I wanted her to break you. I wanted to help her do it. I wanted to do things I knew would hurt you, wanted to go behind your back. I didn't want you, need you, care for you...I didn't even like you.

"But she never said the big one. She never took the most important thing from me...never even tried. She never, not once, told me _'you don't love her'_."

"Oh, Sie..."

"And so I did. Deep down, beneath the garbage, I still loved you. For everything she said, it made that little bit of difference...planted that little seed of doubt. 'Is this what she would want?' I'd ask myself. 'Is this what _I_ would want...for someone I love?'"

"...I've been so horrible to you...!"

"She told me right from the beginning I would wake up when we broke you. I'd have fifteen seconds...just long enough to see things with clear eyes. Because I still loved you, I knew I might not like what I saw - and if I didn't, I couldn't waste time hating it. I had to make those seconds _count_."

He pulled her away from him, holding her back at arm's length. She wasn't sobbing anymore, but still looked teary-eyed, fragile and raw; he was staring at her intently, looking as calm and serious as he ever had.

"I don't need you to respond to this. Right now, I really _don't_ care how you feel. I just need for you to know that _I love you_ , Athena. And I always will."

(Momoko gasped in delight; Bao rolled his eyes.)

He pulled her close again, into another embrace. But almost immediately, she pushed herself away, looking back into his eyes. The tears had run down her cheeks now, and she seemed on the verge of more...but her eyes and smile were showing him more warmth than they'd ever shown anyone else.

"I'm sorry, Sie...but I can't _not_ respond to that," she told him. "It may be as family, or it may be something more; right now, I'm honestly not _sure_ which. But one way or another, _I love you too_ , Sie. And I always will."

(Bao raised his eyebrows; Momo put her hand to her heart.)

She thought about kissing him. Probably would have done, in fact. But he could see it in her eyes - and he hugged her instead, putting their heads side by side and holding her tight. So tight, in fact, that she realized it was a message. _Not now,_ he was telling her. _Not like this._

 _I understand,_ she told him, by clinging to him just as hard.

Then they relaxed, and just held each other, for how long they didn't know. Momoko looked back at Bao grinning, and even he had to smile...until they realized their hands were still touching. They pulled back quickly, looking away from each other as Momo blushed and Bao winced.

Finally, Athena opened her eyes, looked at the kids and smiled. "Well, what are you waiting for?" she teased. "Get over here!"

Laughing, they ran up and joined their partners, Momoko latching onto Athena while Bao awkwardly hugged all of them.

"We are all of us family," said Athena. "No one can take that from us. And together, we can do anything."

And right now, they believed it.

* * *

Meanwhile, out in the hallway, Master Chin watched them closely.

He had woken up at the same time as Bao and Momo, of course. Hearing all the noise, he had torn down the hall - then stopped dead in his tracks when he found out what it was. He'd hung back after that, partly not to disturb the scene and partly not to piss off the giant dragon. But even when it was gone, he'd never found a good time to reveal himself.

He didn't feel hurt about it, though. Rather, he looked at them with a deeply satisfied smile, more proud of them and of himself than he had ever been. He hadn't taken on disciples just to fight evil, after all. He had wanted to create a legacy, wanted to leave something behind. But these were no longer his disciples; somehow, he had raised a family. His wish had come true in a way he'd never expected...and it was a good one.

"I can die a happy man now," he mumbled to himself. He looked up at the nearby wall, at the picture of his beloved. "Wait for me, Grandma."

Then he heard the kids laughing again, and he looked back at them and smiled.

"...it might be awhile yet, though."

* * *

End Notes

And there you have it. Kensou, not Athena, saves the day. Now normally, I'm _all_ about the girl power. (Check out their fight in Chapter 5 of The Deal if you don't believe me.) But I figured that Sie had been the "distressed" one long enough that it'd be okay to let him shine here. Besides, at some point - probably Chapter 4 - this became Kensou's story as much as Botan's; letting Athena steal it from him just wouldn't have been right.

I know I kinda left this open to a sequel, but it's probably not gonna happen. I've just got so many other ideas, and I don't have the time or even the energy for all of them. Feel free to pick up the story where I left off, if you want. I'd prefer to know about it beforehand, but it's not like I can stop you. :P

See you next time!

* * *

She drove away from the dojo at top speed, her heart racing. She knew that as soon as she made it back to the city, she'd buy a one-way ticket to Japan, and when she left here she'd be doing it for good. She couldn't understand how she felt these things, or why she couldn't stop them. But she could remember the fear. She remembered that she had just seen a terrible spirit, and that she didn't want to see it again in a million years.

...she remembered the rest of it, too, actually.

Botan's memory was inviolate.

Tears streaming down her face, she thought about everything she'd just lost. She'd never have another puppet, never give another order. She'd never possess someone as strong as Asamiya again. She had been _so close_ to having it all - power, control, even leadership if she'd wanted it...

...and companions.

Because that's what they were, she'd realized, even more than they were Soldiers. She had watched these five out of necessity for days, and she couldn't help making observations. They were nothing like those from the past; these people treated each other with warmth, respect, and even love, to varying degrees. She'd had something like that, once upon a time...and seeing it up close again had made her want it back.

And now it was gone. And so was everything else.

Botan started sobbing again, barely keeping her eyes on the road...but underneath it, she was scowling. It was not _gone_ , she knew. It had been _taken from her_. That terrible spirit had taken more from her than anyone ever had, and she couldn't get it back on her own. She couldn't get it back through others, either. Not anymore.

But she wouldn't let that stop her.

Not this time, Botan vowed. Not this _way_. Someday, somehow, she was going to get it all back...and then that spirit would pay.

And then Sie Kensou would pay.


End file.
